Page 23 of Premonition of Peace

I elbowed him sharply, casting him a warning look. He was straying too close to the truth, and Not-Sasha didn’t need to know we suspected anything.

My phone buzzed. It was August calling again. That’s the second time in a row, which was odd for him. I sent it to voicemail, but looked at Lucifer, giving him a look that clearly said,“Behave.”He quirked an eyebrow at my phone but turned his attention back to Not-Sasha, crossing his arms over his chest.

I stepped away but wasn’t willing to go far after recent events. Color me concerned, but seeing Lucifer bleeding out did something to me. It made me realize I was unwilling to lose him. I slid up on my screen to check my messages when it lit up showing a text from August.

August:So we’re ignoring each other now?

Nat:No one’s ignoring, just busy.

August:Well, if you are too busy to take my calls, will you at least put me on your schedule and meet me for dinner tonight?

Nat:Last time we did that, we ended up fucking like wild animals.

August:Okay so maybe not dinner. Or somewhere with a back room…How about that little diner off South Canal? It’s busy there. Breakfast tomorrow?

Nat:Sure, 9.

Leaving it at that, I exited out of his messages and clicked into the group chat that included everyone except Not-Sasha. I shot off a text, letting them know Not-Sasha was here and on the move. Sienna was the first to respond cursing herself for showering. A few short texts later Anders has been elected to “find” Not-Sasha and keep her busy after Lucifer and I left the café. I put my phone away and walked back over.

Sasha said something and lifted a hand to his sculpted bicep, fingers brushing over him with familiarity. He stepped back and her face crumpled into a glare before smoothing over.

“Don’t touch me,” he said firmly.

Sasha brushed it off like it was nothing, though I could see the flicker of anger still in her eyes. “You’re such a spoilsport, Lucifer,” she said with a forced laugh. “I was just trying to help.”

Lucifer shot her a look. “Help by not touching me.”

“Things have changed,” Sasha said, seeming to finally understand. Her eyes lifted for a second, and in their depths I could have sworn I saw a flash of somethingother.

Something dangerous.

“You no longer care for me, do you?” An odd note permeated her tone, something I couldn’t quite put a finger on.

Lucifer sighed, as if not picking up on the change. “Must we do this? I don’t know how to make my disinterest any clearer. Furthermore, I’m in a relationship. One that won’t be endingever.”

A dark chuckle slid from between her lips. The hairs on the back of my neck lifted.

“All right, Lucifer. We’ll do this your way.”

The threat seemed to finally register with him, as he lifted an eyebrow.

The gold of his eyes swirled with a chaotic sort of energy, and I just knew he was seconds away from challenging her. That couldn’t happen.

“We’ll see you around, Sasha.” I grabbed his arm and tugged him toward my apartment building. Slowly, Lucifer followed but not without a backwards glance at the imposter.

Her words hung in the air as we retreated, and I couldn’t hide my confusion or my dread. What would Not-Sasha gain by pushing me toward August? And what did she mean bywe’ll do this your way?

“We need to move faster to get the real Sasha back,” Lucifer said, a hint of irritation in his voice. “This imposter is . . . unsettling.”

“There’s more than just that reason to get her back,” I replied, my thoughts spinning with the implications of Not-Sasha’s behavior. “But, agreed.” We entered the Señora’s shop, jingling the bell on the door. An orange tabby cat lifted its head from the book it was resting on to peer down at me, then closed its eyes and went back to sleep.

“Do you actually have some business you need to attend to, or was that just an excuse?”

“I do have some things to take care of,” I admitted. “I was planning to walk you back to the apartment before heading out again.”

One of my food pantries had been raided and trashed, and I needed to go do damage control so we could get the doors back open. We catered to supes and humans alike, and that had put us at odds with some groups.

“Why can’t I come to take care of this business?”

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